Dewey Arnold and driver Leon Bailey led wire-to-wire in the $11,644 Open Handicap Trot at Vernon Downs on Friday, May 22.

Dewey Arnold charged right to the front from the outside eight-hole into a :26.4 opening quarter then glided to the half in :55.4 and three-quarters in 1:24.2 en route to the 1:53.3 victory. Doc Nixon (Jimmy Whittemore) popped out of the pocket at the head of the stretch and went all out after Dewey Arnold but couldn't cut into the winner's 1-1/2-length margin. Forty Gs (Roman Lopez) came on for third.

Dewey Arnold is an eight-year-old gelding by Deweycheatumnhowe out of Livn On A Prayer, owned by trainer David Dewhurst and Philip Hale of Utica, New York.

An Open winner in his last Vernon appearance last August, Dewey Arnold has been racing at Saratoga Raceway for the majority of his 2026 season, hitting the board in five of his 13 races with two wins. 

Rebounding from a miscue in his most recent start at Saratoga, Dewey Arnold paid $18.92 to win at odds of 8-1.

Live harness racing returns to Vernon Downs on Saturday, May 23 with a post time of 5:05 p.m.

(With files from Vernon Downs)